But he wouldn’t tell her. She’d made it clear that she wasn’t ready to hear it.
They tumbled to the mattress and lay, panting and covered with sweat. He put his lips close to her ear. “Do you fly on that broom, Anica?”
“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, I do.”
“Is it as good as this?”
Her laughter was breathless and filled with the satisfaction of good sex. “Not even close.”
He smiled. Maybe the magic wasn’t so threatening, after all.
Anica woke with a start. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep. She would bet Jasper hadn’t meant to, either. He’d planned to go through her magic books in the time he had left and search out more clues for breaking the spell.
But they’d decided to cuddle for a few minutes and she’d nestled into the curve of his body, spoon fashion. She’d been asleep before she took three breaths.
That was irresponsible on her part. She knew better than to fall asleep with candles burning, but all was well. She’d been asleep only an hour, and the candles were in protective holders. She’d lost a precious hour with Jasper, though. He was within five minutes of his changing time.
She started to turn toward him to see if he was awake, but before she could do that, his arm tightened around her and pulled her close.
“I know,” he said. “I know.”
“Did you sleep, too?”
“No.” He nestled his beard-stubbled chin against her shoulder. “I didn’t think we should both sleep with all these lit candles.”
She was mortified that he’d had to take over the job that should have been hers. “I lit them, so I should have put them out. I can’t believe I just fell asleep like that, as if I had no responsibility.”
“I’m glad you did. I’m sure you were exhausted. And I covered for you.”
“Thank you.” She seemed to be depending on other people a lot more recently—first Lily and now Jasper. It was a novel and not altogether comfy feeling to give up that control.
“My pleasure.” He gave her a squeeze that was more friendly than sexual, which was wise considering the ticking clock. “I liked lying here with you, watching the candles flicker while you slept. Gave me time to decide something.”
Her pulse rate picked up. “Oh?”
“I’m going to take a guess about the spell. I was afraid to waste one of my three in case I’m wrong, but on the other hand, I don’t want to waste an entire day, either, in case I’m right.”
Her chest tightened with fear and she hoped he couldn’t sense it. “You’re sure? I thought you wanted to do more research first.”
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “If I’m not right, I won’t make another guess until I’ve read every damn book on your bookshelf.”
She was impressed that he could laugh when the stakes were so high. He had more courage than she’d given him credit for. And they were almost out of time for him to make that guess. “What is it, then?
“That I gain minutes every time I do a good deed.”
Relief flooded through her, and she rolled over to pull him into a fierce hug of triumph. “You’re right.” She nearly choked on the words, she was so excited for him. “Oh, Jasper, you guessed it!”
“Thank God!” He hugged her back so tightly that her spine popped. Then he kissed her hard on the mouth before scrambling out of bed. “I have to leave.”
“Jasper, it’s okay! Please don’t feel as if you have to leave when you—” She stopped talking, because he was gone. She could follow him, of course, but he obviously didn’t want that.
She lay there staring at the candles. Now he knew. Now they could talk about it. Now she could help him lift the curse. It was wonderful, wasn’t it? Why should she be worried?
The answer wasn’t pretty. Right now, while he was still partly a cat, he needed her. He stayed in the apartment, stayed with her, because he had to have a safe place to live when he returned to his cat status.
Anica had told both Lily and herself that she hated having his fate in the palm of her hand. She was ashamed to admit that maybe she secretly liked having that much control over him. Once he managed to transform himself back forever he wouldn’t need her anymore. Her control would be gone. He might be gone, too.
Chapter 22
Jasper barely made it to the kitchen before the change hit him. He’d learned to go with it instead of resisting, which made the crossover ten times easier. He’d be glad when this didn’t happen to him every night, but he wasn’t horrified the way he had been the first couple of times he’d changed back into a cat.
And this change was the sweetest of all, because now he knew the secret for lifting the spell. Soon he’d be in charge of his life again. He’d already decided it wouldn’t be the same life, though.
Living as a cat, he’d come to appreciate some things he’d never paid much attention to before. He’d been too busy rushing from one thing to the next, going for the big score in the market, making sure he had tickets to opening night of whatever play was hot that season, hurrying to the gym and staying on the phone the entire time he was working out.
He’d never bothered to stop and enjoy whatever was right in front of him because he’d been too busy looking ahead to the next great thing, which was bound to be so much better than what he had going on at the moment. He knew now that nothing could be better than making love to Anica in a room filled with candlelight and then lying quietly, watching over her while she slept.
Staying with her all night would be a bonus, though, and he wanted to get to that point ASAP. When he was fully transformed into a cat, he trotted out to the living room, hopped on the desk chair, and turned on the computer. Typing wouldn’t be nearly as smooth as it had been four hours ago, but there were compensations. Cats didn’t get carpel tunnel or stiff necks. At least he hoped cats didn’t.
Now that he knew he’d be changing back permanently, he could allow himself to appreciate the good things about his feline self. He could leap to heights five or six times taller than he was. Even Michael Jordan hadn’t been able to do that.
He was now a champion nap-taker, too, and he had to acknowledge that naps lowered his stress levels. He also had meditation skills to rival the Dalai Lama and the patience of . . . well, of a saint. As a man he used to sit and drum his fingers on the desk while his computer booted up. Now he simply sat and waited.
Would any of his cat skills transfer to his human self? Not the leaping ability, of course, but he had hopes for a calmer approach, a more in-the-moment philosophy once he returned to his other life. He realized with some surprise that there were things he’d miss about being a cat.
Not the lack of opposable thumbs, though. Computers were designed for people and he struggled whenever he had to use this one. Yet he’d learned how, and the computer could be one of his main sources of salvation now. He signed on to the Internet.
As he was calling up the animal rescue site, he heard soft footsteps and knew Anica was up. Her scent drew nearer as she approached the desk, and the rustle of silk told him she’d put on a bathrobe.
He’d learned to depend on his cat senses and had missed them during those times when he’d transformed into a man. Consequently he’d learned to compensate by paying better attention. He’d like to hang on to that tendency, too.
“I heard the computer boot up.” She yawned. “I thought I’d come out and see what you’re doing.”
Jasper opened a Word file so he could type a message to her. He clicked on the lock function and typed in U NED SLP.
She laughed softly. “You know, that last word could be slap instead of sleep. I might need a slap more than I need sleep, come to think of it.” RUIN2 S & M
He didn’t think that at all, but he was feeling good and wanted to tease her a little bit.
“Nope.”
GD
“But I have a confession to make, Jasper. A part of me has enjoyed the past few days.”
PRT OF ME 2
“That’s nice
of you to say.”
MY DCK
She hooted with laughter, and he was proud of himself for making her lose it. That was another thing he wanted that had largely been missing in his human life. He wanted more play. Naked play with Anica would be even better.
“Okay, Jasper, my hoo-ha has certainly enjoyed the past few days, but I’ve also discovered that I’ve enjoyed the control I’ve had over this situation, which is not good. I’m going to work on that, which would be especially important if I’m about to get my magic back.”
YES
She took a deep breath. “Yes. Sex with you is a good practice ground for giving up control.”
NCE
“It is nice. Very nice.” She paused. “Jasper, I . . .” He waited, wondering if she would choose this moment to reveal the depth of her feelings. Now wouldn’t be the best timing in the world, when all he could do was type his response. But he’d take the words whenever he could get them.
Telling him how she felt about him would be the ultimate loss of control, though. She might not be there yet. He’d just been mentally bragging on his increased patience, so this would give him a chance to test it.
“I should let Orion out of the closet,” she said at last.
With a little sigh, Jasper minimized his Word file and went back to the animal rescue site. If only he knew the amount to give that would do the trick. He didn’t seem to be getting hours in proportion to what he was giving.
Other factors must be at work, and he was still holding out hope that each orgasm he gave Anica counted. That would be sweet. His e-mails to Sheila, Kate and Deb might do something for him. At least he hoped they were in the good-deed category. He’d meant for them to be.
Still, the animal rescue site offered the most clear-cut opportunity for good works. His American Express was a no-limit card, so theoretically he could put anything he wanted to on there. He’d have to pay it next month, though, and he’d rather not empty his IRA and savings to do that. The condo didn’t have much equity yet.
He might strike gold at work, but the market was like a temperamental lover. Whenever he tried too hard to woo her she turned into a bitch. So no guarantees from that corner.
He was talking about his freedom, though. He had five hours, and he needed nineteen more to make a whole day. Logic said to charge whatever amount he thought might buy him nineteen hours and worry about how to pay for it later.
Yeah, but what would that amount be? He didn’t want to overshoot it by thousands. He’d never know whether he did or not, which would be frustrating in itself.
Anica’s footfalls were almost noiseless on the carpet, but Jasper could smell that combination of sugar and spice coming closer. The scent of male cat came with her this time, which meant Orion was out of the closet.
“What has you so mesmerized, Jasper?” She paused to glance at the screen. “Aha! You’re going to make a donation. Smart.”
Jasper didn’t feel all that smart. He’d love to talk to that witch and wizard and find out if they could be more specific about how this worked. If he knew for a fact that nineteen grand would buy him nineteen hours, he’d probably just do it. But he didn’t know that, and he would have a hell of a time paying that money back.
“I would help you navigate the computer.” Anica crouched down next to the desk so she could stroke Orion. “But I’m afraid if I did the typing for you that might counteract the value of your good deed.”
He sure didn’t want that happening, especially because he was toying with the idea of giving ten grand. Even if it didn’t take him all the way, he should get a huge chunk of time for that. If he transformed early enough in the day, he might be able to use those extra hours to do more good deeds.
Still, ten grand was a lot of money. He could probably get an equity loan for that amount, but that would add significantly to his debt load. Of course, if he didn’t transform back into a man soon, he could kiss his job goodbye and then he’d be in real financial trouble.
And if the worst happened and he never completely made the transition, he would have far bigger problems than being in debt. He typed in the numbers before he lost his nerve.
Behind him, Anica gasped. “Jasper! That’s a small fortune! It’s a good cause, but I’m sure you don’t need to give them that much.” She reached around him and tried to grab the mouse.
He batted it away, something he was especially good at.
“Jasper, behave. I’m sure that lifting the spell doesn’t require that you spend ten thousand dollars.” She reached for the mouse again.
But he had cat reflexes. Leaping to the desk, he threw himself on top of the mouse. Growling, he gathered it underneath his body.
“Don’t be crazy.” Anica began pulling on the cord connecting the mouse to the computer. “Let me have the mouse before you do something really dumb.”
He stared at her while gripping the mouse with the claws of his back feet. Too bad he couldn’t talk. He’d tell her that she hadn’t quite given up that habit of hers, the one where she wanted to control things. He was a grown man—well, at least for a few hours every evening—and he had the right to donate whatever money he chose to whatever cause he chose.
She pulled harder on the cord, and he growled a warning. He didn’t want to scratch her, but she was messing in his business.
“You’re being incredibly stubborn. Tomorrow night we can brainstorm ways you can earn minutes. Now that you know how the spell can be reversed, I’m free to help you strategize. I’m sure we can come up with things that don’t require some massive infusion of money.”
Little did she know. He’d already given $4,700, and his five hours of being a man wasn’t all due to that donation, either. He didn’t think $10k would even be enough, but it was the amount he could give away without hyperventilating.
It might at least buy him enough human time to work on less expensive goodwill projects. True, he wouldn’t get daylight hours to work with until he earned the first twelve, but good deeds were possible at night. He could figure that one out.
Anica tried to stare him down, but as he’d discovered, he was an expert at staring contests. The whole time he looked at her he tried to send a message from his mind to hers. If mental telepathy worked it should work from a cat to a witch. Of course, she wasn’t technically a witch without her magic.
Even so, something must have penetrated her brain, because she sighed and backed away. “I suppose it’s your decision, isn’t it?”
No shit, Sherlock.
She threw both hands up. “All right. I tried to talk some sense into you, but I can see you’re determined to do it your way.”
Maybe not being able to talk had saved them both. He could easily imagine the brouhaha if he’d been able to get in his licks. Instead, silent resistance had worked. He’d have to remember that technique for later, because he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the only time they had this kind of argument. Anica wouldn’t give up being bossy overnight, and maybe not ever.
He was fascinated to discover he didn’t care. If he was very lucky, he’d get to ride herd on her bossiness for the rest of their lives. Now, there was a concept.
“I want to meet him.” Lily sat across from Anica at Wicked Brew, her face alight with excitement. “This is sounding like a serious relationship, and I want to check him out, see if he’s good enough for you.”
“But you have work, and I have no idea when he’ll change.” Anica had called Lily midmorning to catch her up on Jasper’s progress and to report the large cash donation. Lily had rushed down to the coffee shop to discuss it in person.
“If he threw down ten thousand smackeroos, he could be sitting in your apartment, sipping coffee right this minute. For that matter, he could walk through the door of the shop!”
Anica shook her head. “Before I left, I made sure he had my cell number and asked him to call if something happens, like he did last night. I don’t need to have him walk in here and scare the living daylights out of me.”
Lily munched on a chocolate cake doughnut, her idea of breakfast. “For that kind of money, I’m surprised he didn’t immediately zap back to naked manhood.” She dampened her finger and speared some crumbs.
“He might have wished that would happen, but obviously it didn’t. I hope he got some extra hours, though. It would suck if for some reason that donation didn’t count toward anything.”
Lily licked her finger. “Why not call Dorcas and ask her? For all you know there’s some chart that tells how many points various good deeds are worth.”
Anica doubted it, but calling Dorcas was a good idea. “Thanks. I’ll do that right now.”
Lily seemed pleased that Anica took her suggestion. “I’ll get Sally to give us each a refill.” She picked up both cups and carried them back to the counter.
As Anica made the call to Dorcas, she tried not to notice the way the shop looked. The windows needed cleaning and dust had collected in the corners. She should stay late tonight and work on the place, except that she didn’t want to spend any more time here than absolutely necessary. Lily was right—Jasper could transform at any minute, and she wanted to be available to help him with his good-deed list. Then she smiled. Maybe helping her clean the shop would count.
Dorcas answered on the third ring. “Hi, Anica. I was wondering if I’d hear from you.”
“I’ll bet you used magic to find out it was me calling.”
“I used to use magic. Now I use caller ID. Far more reliable. How’s Jasper doing?”
Anica filled her in on the latest developments. “Wow. That’s a lot of money.”
“I tried to talk him out of it, but he was determined.” Anica could still see that gleam in Jasper’s golden eyes as he’d defied her. “Will it give him more time?”
“It should. I’d be surprised if it didn’t. Now that Jasper knows what he’s supposed to do, let me ask Ambrose to research the acts-of-kindness angle again. Maybe we can find out more detail.”
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